New Auburn welcome center now targets mid-November opening

The opening of Auburn’s Equal Rights Heritage Center has been delayed to mid-November as construction continues for the next two weeks.

“We are almost complete but a couple more weeks are needed,” said Auburn Mayor Michael Quill on Wednesday. “We thank all of our construction partners for getting this project to where it is and we look forward to be able to open soon.”

The $10 million project, funded and supported through the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative, was announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year. Cuomo said that the ERHC will pay tribute to Harriet Tubman and William Seward, who lived in Auburn and fought for equal rights. Construction began in February of this year.

The ERHC will house the offices of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, the Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District and the Auburn Historic and Cultural Sites Commission.